Abby Rose Dalto

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12.05.2016

There are numerous petitions urging electors in red states to vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump. It's very unlikely that this would actually happen - it's unlikely that any electors would actually vote against their pledge, let alone enough to shift the win from Trump to Clinton. Clinton has already conceded and President Obama has already (perhaps begrudgingly) welcomed Trump to the White House. So no one should get their heart set on this actually happening.

But hey, it is possible and it would be completelylegal. There are 164 electoral votes that are supposed to go to Trump but could legally go to Clinton if the electors chose to vote their conscience. She needs 42 to win, but Trump would only need to lose 20 to cost him the presidency (and put the decision into the hands of the Senate instead). A lot of these are in traditionally "red" states, but this election was different. Many Republicans did not support Donald Trump. However, they also don't support Hillary Clinton. I don't think we should hold out for Clinton as our next president, but the truth is, anyone would be better than Trump at this point. So if the electors wanted to get together and elect someone else entirely, that would still be better (as long as it's not Mike Pence, yuck).

Even if there aren't enough votes to shift the election away from Trump, I do think that any electors that vote against pledge will be making an important statement against Trump. Donald Trump is neither qualified nor fit to be president. He ran for president on a platform of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia and lost the popular vote by over 2 million votes. More importantly, it would make an important statement against the legitimacy of the electoral college in general. The truth is, this system has outgrown its purpose and does not represent the will of the people. So if you want to keep fighting against Trump, I say go for it. So this is how you can do try to do that...

2. Confirm whether your state's electors are bound by law or party pledge to cast their vote for a specific candidate.

The following states have mandates requiring electors to vote the way they're expected to, or else risk of penalty: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. (In Maine and Nebraska, electors are required to vote according to the Congressional District method.)

3. Confirm whether your state went "red" or "blue."

Delaware, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island all voted in favor of Hillary Clinton so these electors don't need to be convinced to vote against the pledge. (Of course, it doesn't hurt to thank or encourage them to vote the way they've pledged, if you want. You can find the full list of electors here.)

4. Find out who the electors are in your state and their contact information.You can reach most of the electors through a form email on http://asktheelectors.org.

However, if you'd like to reach out directly, I tried to compile as much contact information for as many electors as possible. (Thank you to everyone who helped research this!)

This is not a complete list but I will be updating it as I get more information. If you have the address, email or phone number of any elector on this list please get in touch!!

5. Find out the electoral process in your state.
Generally, each state's Electors vote at their state capitols and the vote may or may not be open to the public. You can contact your state's governor or secretary of state to find out more about the proceedings.

6. If the proceedings are open to the public, GO!
Make some signs, gather some friends, and go down there and show them that they need to vote their consciences and vote the will of the people - against Donald Trump. Even if they're not open to the public, you can still stand outside and make your feelings known.

7. Have hope.
I still think it's very unlikely that we will see Hillary Clinton as our president. It's almost as unlikely that the electors will vote for anyone else other than Donald Trump. But it's still important to make our feelings on this subject known and ultimately reform the electoral college entirely.

11.19.2016

Speaker Paul Ryan was surprised to hear that there have been an uptick in post-election hate crimes and abuse. The rest of us are all too familiar with everything that's been going on now that a racist, misogynist, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic bigot has been elected.

He's so unaware of this, so Samantha Bee has suggested we all show him what he's been missing and #TellPaulRyan.

Write to him with your personal stories. (If you're lucky enough not have experienced any of this firsthand, print out an explanation of someone else's story. There are enough to go around.) Just let him know about all the hateful, racist, sexist, threatening events that have happened to you and people you know...

Mail them to:

Office of the Speaker
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

You can also call his constituent hotline: 1-888-909-RYAN (7926)

Please don't be rude or disrespectful when you call. Just clearly let them know what has been happening to you and that you want Ryan - and the rest of the government - to take a stand against the hateful rhetoric that Donald Trump and Mike Pence has encouraged.

11.18.2016

The holidays are approaching... which means that shopping season is among us. This year many people are calling for a boycott of all products associated with Donald Trump or his daughter Ivanka Trump. Donald thinks he can grab women by the pussy? Now you're invited to #GrabYourWallet and spend your money elsewhere.

Shannon Coulter has created a spreadsheet of retailers that do business with the Trumps or otherwise supported Donald's campaign. Don't just stop shopping there - tell them why and ask them to stop working with the Trumps and remove all of Ivanka and Donald's merchandise from their shelves.

You can also boycott all of Trump's hotels, resorts, and other properties.

Let's also make an effort to support local businesses that are owned by immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color and anyone who has been vocally against Trump.

11.17.2016

Many women have a good damn reason to dislike Trump and Pence - because Trump and Pence are bad for women. Not only has Trump been accused of sexual assault many times (including the alleged rape of a child) but he's actually bragged about grabbing women "by the pussy." He has promised to overturn Roe vs. Wade and even spoke about punishing women who choose abortion. Pence has a history of legislative actions that harm women - including multiple bills that significantly increased restrictions on abortion and leading the charge to defund Planned Parenthood.

Women have started fighting back in a way for which women are particularly well suited -- with their periods.

Earlier this year women began trolling Governor Pence by sharing TMI details about their menstrual cycles. In response to one of his more heinous anti-choice laws (one that forced women to endure high-risk pregnancies), women began calling his office to share graphic information about their periods in order to make the point that the government need not be involved in what they do with their bodies. The Facebook page "Periods for Pence" (now "Periods for Politicians") currently has over 86,000 likes.

Now Gabrielle Diekhoff, founder of Clitorally Zine and a contributor to Bust, has taken #PeriodsforPence a step further and started #TamponsforTrump. Women aren't just contacting Trump to tell him about their periods, they are sending them to him. Not literally of course (it is a federal offense to send real blood or other bodily fluids in the mail) but close enough... she is encouraging women (and men) to send tampons and pads and other "period paraphernalia" soaked in fake blood to Trump and Pence.

Some people are also sending photos of period-inspired art to Trump and Pence on Twitter and Instagram. Diekhoff admits that sending Trump and Pence tampons might not be the most productive method of protest (though it is certainly a good method of expressing frustration). She recommends also doing your part to help the women and other marginalized people affected by Trump and Pence's misogyny.

People have already been making donations to Planned Parenthood and other organizations that aim to protect a woman's right to choose in Mike Pence's name. Diekhoff recommends also donating menstrual products to those in need (like a women's shelter) or volunteering at a rape crisis center, for example.

If you'd like to send tampons or letters to Trump and Pence you can send them here:

11.16.2016

It's been a week since we got the bad news and while some of us are starting to move on and feel better, many many people are still completely devastated and paralyzed with grief and fear. If you are struggling (or know someone who is) there may not be anything I can tell you to make you feel better.

But I want you to please try to hold on and have hope.

If you are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, especially following the election, here is a list of support groups, crisis centers, and hotlines. If you are not struggling, maybe you can help support these groups with your time or a donation.

11.15.2016

There is a lot to do right now. Where do we start? Let's tell our elected (and appointed) officials how we really feel. We might not be able to prevent Trump from taking office, but we can make sure that all levels of government support the vision of America that we want. Trump wants to make America great again? Let's tell him - and anyone else who will listen - just how to do that. Tell the government what #theAmericawewant really looks like.